Eric DeCosta has made his feelings on Tyler Linderbaum crystal clear

Undoubtedly, the biggest question around the Baltimore Ravens as we head into free agency regards the future of Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. Given how much the Ravens' o-line has struggled in recent years, losing Linderbaum would be a nightmare scenario. Nevertheless, numerous teams will surely be interested in his services as he's arguably the best lineman who will hit the open market.

Thankfully, general manager Eric DeCosta provided a positive update during a press conference at the NFL combine.  

"Tyler is a guy that I have tremendous respect for. Obviously, he's proven to be, in my opinion, the best center in the league, DeCosta said. "At this point in time, we've made him a market-setting offer, and hopefully we can get something done with him between now and the start of the new league year. We've always been a team that has valued the importance of the trenches and being up front, which is one of the reasons why we want to bring Tyler back if we can." 

Head coach Jesse Minter echoed DeCosta's statement by calling Linderbaum the best center in the league and saying "we'd love to have him back." 

Given these comments from both DeCosta and Minter, it's reasonable to believe that Linderbaum will return to Baltimore this offseason, and fans should be thrilled by this. 

Tyler Linderbaum is poised for a massive payday

Currently, Creed Humphery is the league's highest-paid center, making $18 million next year. As such, it's fair to expect Linderbaum to exceed this amount and perhaps crack the $20 million a year mark. Frankly, it's hard to see Linderbaum turning down this type of money, especially as the Ravens offer him a clear chance to compete for a Super Bowl. This is a hefty price, no doubt, but it's also one the Ravens should meet given his importance to the team and the lack of options if they lose him.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked Linderbaum as the fifth-best center based on last season and gave him a stellar 80.3 grade. While he might not be the league's best center, like DeCosta and Minter suggested, he's not far from it, and he is certainly an essential part of the Ravens' success that they can't ignore. 

Spotrac projects his market value as $17.7 million a year, meaning the Ravens would slightly but not badly be overpaying for him with a market-setting deal.

Even if in a vacuum it's an overpay to make Linderbaum the league's highest-paid center, it would be worth it for the Ravens given the importance of protecting Lamar Jackson and maintaining an elite run game. Plus, at 25 years old, it's fair to expect Linderbaum's high-level play to continue for the foreseeable future. 

Again, losing Linderbaum would be a disaster for the Ravens, given their gaping holes at the guard spots. Finding ways to upgrade the o-line in free agency is tricky, while drafting a rookie to fill this void is inherently risky. 

Overall, these comments from DeCosta (and Minter) should delight Ravens fans, and all signs point to Linderbaum returning to Baltimore.